About this episode

The episode discusses Kanopy's approach to film discovery and curation in the context of independent films and streaming.

No Film School’s GG Hawkins speaks with Kanopy’s Aaron Spears and Matt Lewis about curation, film discovery, and how independent films find audiences in a streaming landscape shaped by algorithms. The conversation covers Kanopy’s library- and university-based model, the importance of human-led programming, how poster art and social media influence discovery, and why theatrical and festival experiences still matter for the long-term life of a film. In this episode, No Film School'se GG Hawkins and guests Aaron Spears and Matt Lewis discuss... What Kanopy is and how it differs from subscription-based streamers like Netflix Why Kanopy’s free, ad-free model through libraries and universities matters for film access Aaron’s path from film programming and art house theaters to Kanopy’s content programming team Matt’s background in entertainment marketing and how he brings that experience to Kanopy How Kanopy’s programming team curates new titles each week Why human taste, context, and browsing still matter in an algorithm-driven media landscape How poster art, title design, and trailers shape audience expectations What filmmakers should consider when creating key art for their films…

People in this episode

Host: GG Hawkins

Guests: Aaron Spears, Matt Lewis

Topics covered

• film discovery
• curation
• independent films
• streaming landscape
• human-led programming
• audience engagement

Keywords

• Kanopy
• film curation
• streaming
• independent films
• audience discovery
• human programming
• film festivals

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Kanopy, Netflix

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